This invention relates to a catalyst called Willard Water. More particularly, it refers to a bactericidal gel formed from a concentrate of the catalyst and ultra pure water mixed with a gel composition or formulation and the use of the resulting bactericidal gel concentrate to treat burns and dermal lesions.
Willard Water is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,943 as a novel catalyst and its preparation is therein described. Willard Water has a poor shelf life insofar as its use in a bactericidal solution. A concentrate is needed that will provide an extended shelf life and will be useful to treat epidermal body surfaces that may be contaminated with bacteria.
The concentrate needs to be kept moist under a wound dressing such as a polymeric or hydrocalloid membrane. Such dressings are expensive. A formulation is needed that can be employed for use with a dry dressing such as inexpensive cotton gauze.
The present invention solves the above problem by providing a bactericidal gel made from the concentrate. The concentrate is made with a liquid mixture ratio of about 1.2 to 3 ml of Willard Water to about one liter of ultra pure water having an electrical resistance of 16-26 megohms, total dissolved solids of less than 0.04 parts per million and a specific conductance of less than 0.10 mho. The Willard Water employed in the concentrate is as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,943. The concentrate in a gel formulation is used to apply to the epidermis of patients to control bacterial contaminations. A gel for treatment of burns, psorriais and abrasions is formed from one liter of a gel formulation containing about 3.5-12 ml of the concentrate at a pH of 7.5 to 9.7. The concentrate of this invention has a shelf life in a plastic container of at least two and one half years compared to a shelf life of Willard Water combined with distilled water of less than seven months.
The liquid bactericidal concentrate of this invention is made from 1.2 to 3 parts by volume of Willard Water made according to the description of the catalyst described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,943, incorporated herein by reference, to 1000 parts by volume of ultra pure water.
The ultra pure water is made by first passing potable water through a 5 micron sediment filter and then through a granulated activated charcoal bed having a depth of about 20 cm. The water is then passed through a 1.2 cubic foot mixed bed deionizer resin such as SIBRON Model No. NM-60. The resulting treated water is passed twice through a standard reverse osmosis process utilizing Model FC-018A filters obtained from Water Link Technologies, Inc. and then through a 0.2 micron filter to obtain ultra pure water having an electrical resistance of 16-26 megohms, total dissolved solids of less than 0.04 parts per million and a specific conductance of less than 0.10 mho.
The ultra pure water is mixed in a holding drum with the Willard Water at varying ratios of 1000 to 1.2-3 parts by volume depending upon the bacteria for which control is sought.
About 1.2 ml of Willard Water is added to one liter of the ultra pure water to create a liquid mixture for treatment of Staphylococcus. Streptococcus, E. coli and Pseudomonas bacteria. In treating burns with a liquid, 2.8 ml of Willard Water is added to one liter of the ultra pure water. The solutions are buffered to a pH of 8.0 to 8.5.
For further treatment of burn victims, a gel is formed containing 3.5 to 12 ml of the liquid concentrate in 1000 ml of a gel formulation. The gel formulation will contain sodium silicate, sulfate of ester of oil of Euphorbiaceae, magnesium and calcium chloride, glycerin, xanthan gum, methanol, paraben, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. The gel formulation should be buffered to a pH of 7.5 to 9.7. Another gel formulation contains 3.5 to 12 ml of the liquid bactericidal concentrate in one liter of a 2% methylcellulose composition. The one liter will contain 20 grams of methylcellulose, 2 grams of sodium benzoate and the remainder purified water.
The gel concentrate is applied directly to a patient""s skin surface containing a burn or other lesion. The burn or lesion begins healing within a few days without being affected by bacterial contamination. A cotton gauze is placed over the gel concentrate to protect the wound.